


A Kingdom or This

by spirithorse



Series: Tales from Britannia [9]
Category: Code Geass
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Game of Thrones AU, Ice Skating AU, M/M, suzalulu week 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-07 21:47:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8817412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spirithorse/pseuds/spirithorse
Summary: One-shots written for Suzalulu Week 2016 (Part 2).





	1. Betrayal

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on tumblr and are being posted here for ease of commenting and archiving purposes. Title taken from _Prince's Gambit_ by C.S. Pacat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the prompt "Red".

Suzaku stepped to the side as Julius moved past him. He raised an eyebrow as Julius stripped out of his outer coat, the man carelessly draping it over the back of the chair. That was strange in itself, but it was easily overlooked. Julius had spent the past hour under hot studio lights, making his opening gambit. 

Suzaku hadn’t been present for the filming, but he was sure that he would be around for the broadcast. There were still a few blocks to be knocked into place before their plan could be carried out.

It was a plan typical of Lelouch, but that was the whole point. Charles wouldn’t have sent Lelouch out if he had wanted anything different. After all, Lelouch had been incredibly effective in Japan. For whatever faults Charles had, the emperor knew how to use his resources.

He cleared his throat, watching as Julius turned back towards him. “Everything go well?”

Julius snorted and made a noncommittal gesture. “As well as expected. Now the ball is in Grand Duke Velaines’ court.”

“You sound like you don’t trust him.”

Julius shot him an odd look out of the corner of his eye. Suzaku held the gaze steady until Julius looked away. The man shook his head, walking around the configuration of chairs in front of the fireplace. His hand lingered on the back of one of the chairs before he sank down into it. Julius groaned slightly as he sat back.

He shut his eye, his fingers tapping out a pattern on the arm of the chair. Suzaku glanced at Julius’ fingers, watching them move through the pattern a few times before looking away. He heard Julius laugh at that, the drumming stopping immediately. “I think you just answered your own question.”

Julius resettled himself in the chair, Suzaku watching the man out of the corner of his eye. If Julius noticed, he didn’t show it. He just tipped his head back towards the ceiling.

“He’s a weak man. His councilors can push him back and forth and he’d go with them, good sense or not. Velaines will be a problem, but not insurmountable one. I do hold the power here.” Julius gestured towards the bedroom where the imperial scepter was. “If it becomes a problem he can be removed. I can only hope that he keeps listening to Sir Shaing. He seems to have a good handle on the war.”

“Does he?”

Julius laughed at the question. “I suppose we’ll have to find out. Sir Shaing has invited me to a game of chess after dinner. I intend to talk to him about how to best deploy the Knights of St. Michael.”

“Will you ask about their former leader?”

“Why bother? I know what happened to him. It’s not too hard to figure it out.” Julius lowered his head and opened his eye to look at Suzaku. “If you want to be offended by something, be offended by the fact that none of his subordinates noticed.”

“That’s not the point.” Suzaku shook his head but didn’t bother to explain further. Julius had already made up his mind and there was nothing he could do. He would just have to stand by and make his own assessment of Shin when they went to meet him.

He’d only met Shin briefly, but his impression of the man was that he had been worth watching. Sir Shin Hyuga Shaing could be dangerous. It was just a matter of Julius encouraging it.

Suzaku looked back at Julius, watching as the man undid his cravat. Julius turned the pin over in his fingers before slipping it back into the loose fabric. He reached up to loosen his collar, his fingers lingering there for a moment before he pulled them away.

Julius shook his head and pushed up from the chair, heading for the bedroom. “Operations will take a while to fall into place and Grand Duke Velaines kindly left me all of the troops under his control. It appears that I will have to step in as commander of his troops as well as organizing the rest of the Euro-Britannian offensive.”

There was a hint of sarcasm in Julius’ voice, but Suzaku didn’t feel up to sorting it all out. Julius had his reasons that Suzaku would prefer not to delve too deeply into. There was plenty of political maneuvering going on, far more than he had been briefed on. Suzaku was sure that it was a failing on Charles’ part. 

Then again, there was no need to give him the full briefing on the situation, he was already more informed than most of the military. In the end his job was to look imposing with all the titles and honors that came with being a Knight of the Round and to guard Julius from whatever schemes that the Euro-Britannians wanted to pull him into.

Gino had said that he was almost jealous of his posting, because it meant that he would be doing something instead of just sitting around and waiting to be used to change the tide of battle. Suzaku distinctly remembered Gino saying that he’d get a chance to kick back and relax in some of the best noble houses outside of Britannia. He doubted that he would be able to relax, not when everything he was seeing was dangerous.

Grand Duke Velaines was allowing himself to be led around by the nose. Some of the other dukes were starting to push the Grand Duke to try and pull away from Britannia while the empire was at war. Between the Black Rebellion in Area 11, the rebellions inspired by it and the war in the EU, Suzaku was almost sure that they would be able to manage it.

And, behind all of that, was Shin Huyga Shaing, hovering ominously like a storm about to break. They knew nothing about him, but Julius seemed to blithely assume that one meeting would be enough. For someone who proclaimed that they were so brilliant, it was a dangerously arrogant move.

He sighed and glanced back towards the door, listening for any movement on the other side. 

The Grand Duke had given them two guards to follow them around. Suzaku wasn’t sure if he should consider them a kind of threat from the other dukes under Velaines or a genuine offer. All he knew that they were two more sets of ears that were probably listening in to every conversation that he and Julius had.

Suzaku looked up at the corners of the rooms, searching for cameras. His earlier sweeps hadn’t shown any cameras, but he had to be sure. Grand Duke Velaines might not be listening to ideas about separating from Britannia, but Suzaku was sure that the man wouldn’t hesitate to turn them in for treason. He would have to remind Julius to watch his tongue. All of the power that Charles had conferred on him wouldn’t mean a thing if he stepped out of line. Charles was probably waiting for the right excuse to lash out at Lelouch.

Suzaku didn’t know why Charles had bothered to wipe Lelouch’s mind, save for he had needed his son to sort out the current mess. But that had been a mistake.

He shook his head and walked towards the bedroom. The guards would stand at the door until he and Julius were ready to move again. The two of them wouldn’t come into the room unless they were invited and they wouldn’t think about entering the bedroom, which meant the two of them were safe.

Suzaku slid the door open, catching Julius in the middle of reaching up to untie his eyepatch. Julius paused in the move, tipping his head to the side with a slow smile. “You’re bold, Sir Kururugi.”

“You invited me.”

Julius hummed, finishing off with his eyepatch. He turned his back to Suzaku, leaning forward to place the eyepatch on the table. When he straightened up, his fingers were lingering on his collar again. “I hoped you had noticed.”

Suzaku nodded, his gaze lingering on Julius’ fingers before he turned away. He had noticed more than enough, although he didn’t want to tell that to Julius. The man had enough to gloat about already, his tapped out message had been more than enough. Julius had spent an hour with Grand Duke Velaines and the man’s military commanders and no one had noticed the message underneath the announcement that Julius had made. Since Suzaku hadn’t been there, he didn’t know the message, but Julius’ tapped out reassurance had been more than enough.

B-L-A-C-K-K-N-I-G-H-T-S-C-O-N-T-A-C-T-E-D

M-O-V-I-N-G-F-O-R-W-A-R-D

He sighed and took a step forward, fully expecting Julius to turn around towards him. It was as easy as breathing to reach out and catch Julius’ arms, Suzaku reeling the man in even as Julius’ laughed.

Julius allowed himself to be pulled close, only pulling his arms away when they were practically chest to chest. Julius reached up to bury his hands in Suzaku’s hair, smiling at him.

It was just as easy to smile back at Julius, even with the bright red flaw that was the geass across his eye. Suzaku sighed and pulled Julius’ closer, whispering a name against his lips.

“Lelouch.”


	2. Matched Pair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the prompt "Mittens".

Milly sighed and reached up to let her hair down. It was the end of the broadcast day and no one would care. In any case, she didn’t think that anyone would call her in to continue, not after all the hours that she had put in during the aftermath of the Second Black Rebellion. 

She was sure that they were all trying to give her some sort of break, especially after she had practically been the one reporter working and, if she hadn’t been in front of the cameras, she was arranging places for the crews to stay or helping out with the broadcasts of other stations. Anything to keep the news going out in such a confusing time. The problem was that she kept getting thanked for what she had done when she didn’t think she had deserved it. There hadn’t been anything else she could do to help, and she had desperately needed to help, especially after the FLEIJA.

She reached up to rub at the back of her neck, trying to work out a knot there. Milly leaned her neck back into her fingers, closing her eyes as she thought over the route she would take to get back to Ashford. It was her turn to pick up dinner, and she was sick of pizza. Maybe it was time to poll her coworkers to see if they had any recommendations. As far as she knew neither Rivalz nor Nina had any allergies, and it was past time for them to expand their horizons, especially since Area 11 was in recovery after the disaster of the Black Rebellion.

Milly opened her eyes, reaching for her purse. It was habit to glance over at the screen to see how the broadcast was going. A small fluff piece was ending, something that the network had been doing more of. With the Black Rebellion and the changes going on in Britannia, everyone needed to be reassured that the disasters were over.

As if her thoughts had summoned them, the screen changed to the latest news on Emperor Lelouch.

She paused in the act of rummaging through her purse, finding herself smiling as she looked at the screen. The broadcaster was talking about some new legislation that the emperor had passed, but Milly ignored it. She would go in on her own and ferret out what the law was later. What had her full attention was the way Lelouch looked.

He wasn’t happy, but Milly could excuse that. Nunnally was dead. She couldn’t remember a time that they had been apart, save for the nebulous time when Nunnally had been viceroy.

Milly frowned and shook her head, trying to get herself to focus. It had been happening a lot more lately, where things wouldn’t quite add up correctly. When it had first started happening it had been all too easy to shrug it off as stress but Milly didn’t know the reason now. That was something that she would have to take Rivalz aside and ask him about it. She didn’t want to bother Nina too much, not when the woman seemed to have finally settled into a good state of mind after the FLEIJA explosion. Nina would come later.

She gave her head one more shake before focusing on the broadcast, watching as Lelouch walked out of the Britannian Senate House with Suzaku on his heels.

The emperor paused to wave at the people assembled, all smiles and promise. Milly supposed that it didn’t matter that the smiles weren’t the ones that she remembered, he was looking better than he must have when he had gotten the news that Nunnally had died. Then again, knowing Lelouch, he would have acted almost immediately. 

She was sure that his bid for the throne of Britannia was just that, a way to channel his anger and feelings of hopelessness into something to do. She wasn’t sure that she was happy for him, especially considering how many years that he had spent carefully hiding his identity, but it was Lelouch’s choice in the end. If he wanted to reclaim his title, then she would support him.

She only hoped that he knew what he was doing.

Milly slung her purse over her shoulder, ready to leave when a movement on the screen caught her attention. She froze when she saw Lelouch lean back towards Suzaku, the two of them talking over something for a moment. Milly scanned what the screen showed her, looking for any kind of threat that would draw Suzaku’s attention but it appeared to just be a moment between them.

The smile on Lelouch’s face brightened, something in Milly relaxing at that. With that smile he looked more like Lelouch. At least she knew that he could still smile like that.

Her eyebrows raised when she saw Suzaku step forward, apparently guiding the emperor to one side to avoid pushing through the crowd. The knight gestured to one side, but she saw his arm loop around Lelouch’s waist. It should have been a protective move, but Suzaku’s hand lingered a little low and long. She thought she saw Suzaku’s thumb move in a secret caress, but she was also sure that she was the only one who noticed. Then again, she was probably one of the few that knew that she had to look.

At least that hadn’t changed between them, which was probably what Lelouch had needed. How exactly the two of them had met up during the Black Rebellion, she didn’t know, but at least Lelouch had had someone. She couldn’t have imagined what would have happened to Lelouch if no one had been there. She didn’t want to imagine.

Milly watched the two of them until they walked off screen. She turned before the camera could pan to them. The glimpse was enough for her, although she would have to try to get back in contact with Lelouch. Emperor or not, he was still her friend and she didn’t intend to let Lelouch off the hook so easily. She wanted the story, at least to satisfy her own curiosity.

Until then, it was enough to know that Lelouch was in Suzaku’s good hands, in whatever way that meant. She smirked to herself, walking out of her dressing room.

She was sure the touch would eventually be noticed and expanded upon, and there would probably be a story about it. It was just the kind of piece that the network would like to do. The love life of the emperor would always draw attention. Milly was sure that it would be interesting to watch, at least for her and Rivalz.

It would be news to the rest of the world, but not to them. They had spent two years watching how Lelouch and Suzaku had fit together and it was about time that they had gotten the chance to work together. Maybe she would send them her congratulations, for old time’s sake. Milly could almost see the slightly goofy smile that Suzaku would make and the way that Lelouch would sputter out excuses, although they had probably changed since then. They had all changed after what had happened.

But maybe it wasn’t as much as she thought.


	3. Honorable and Beloved Knight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the prompt "I missed the last bus". Part of the Single Parent AU ([Part I](http://eachainn.tumblr.com/post/93827948784/46-or-50-or-both-suzalulu-please) \- [Part II](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5231960/chapters/13143376))

“Suzaku!”

Lelouch looked up as Alexandra popped up from the floor where she had been lying down. He leaned back in his chair, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw his knight leaning in the doorway. The relief was dampened somewhat by the fact that Suzaku looked less like he was leaning in the doorway but using it as support. Lelouch glanced over at C.C, taking in the way that she narrowed her eyes as he stood up.

It was too late to intercept his daughter, Lelouch wincing along with Suzaku as Alexandra plowed into his legs. The knight stood still through her hug, his hand dropping onto the top of her head. “Hey.”

Alexandra pulled away, obviously pouting at him. “Where were you?”

Suzaku stared at her for a moment before dropping into a crouch so he could be at eye level with her. “I was busy making sure that you two were alright.”

“But that was hours ago.”

“I had to be extra sure, because that’s my job.” Suzaku smiled at her, reaching out to pat her shoulder. “That’s what a knight does.”

Alexandra didn’t seem to be too happy with the answer, but she didn’t get a chance to bug Suzaku with more questions. C.C. stepping in, tapping the princess on the shoulder as she went past. It didn’t take much more to get Alexandra moving beyond that, something that Lelouch was thankful for. And, from the look on C.C’s face, he was going to owe her for it, not that C.C. would ever ask for too much. If anything, she would start to explain what had really happened to Alexandra, which was probably why she had been glaring at him the entire evening. But Lelouch hadn’t been able to figure out what to tell his daughter.

It had clearly been an assassination attempt, but it had been one of the more subtle ones. The problem was that he didn’t know the full story, and he didn’t want to frighten her more than he had to. It was bad enough that he’d had to cut off her first time in court, something that Alexandra had begged for despite the fact that Lelouch was sure that she would have been bored, but he couldn’t begin to start to explain why people would want to kill him, let alone her. He didn’t want to have her living in fear of her life at eight years old.

He ran a hand down his face, pushing thoughts of how to explain the dark shadows of the world to his daughter aside for the moment. For all of her confusion about what had happened, Alexandra had been right, it had been hours.

Lelouch walked over to where Suzaku was still kneeling, offering a hand to the knight. To his surprise, Suzaku took it, leaning heavily into the helping hand to get to his feet. Lelouch flinched at the groan that Suzaku gave, his hand tightening on Suzaku’s when he noticed that the knight’s free hand went to press against his side.

“What happened?”

It took Suzaku a moment to answer, Lelouch watching Suzaku slump a bit. He took a step forward, part of him wanting to tug Suzaku close. Lelouch just barely stopped himself, afraid of pressing on something tender. Suzaku was already moving differently than he usually did, and it worried him more than it should. After all, Suzaku was supposed to be the sword between him and whatever danger was out there, but that didn’t settle him. Throwing a person knowingly into danger didn’t sit well with him, especially when it was Suzaku.

Suzaku drew himself back together, almost tugging his hand out of Lelouch’s, but Lelouch resisted at the last minute. He tried to ignore the confused look that Suzaku shot him, preferring to keep a tight hold on Suzaku’s hand. “Suzaku.”

“The threat was real. Someone was waiting until the end of the court for the procession. They were on your side of the procession.”

“Probably aiming for the emperor.”

“Or you.”

Lelouch huffed, but didn’t wave the worry away. It was true that he wasn’t quite popular with the rest of Britannia. He was seen as dangerously liberal, just like Euphemia was. Most people preferred Schneizel more careful policies or his father’s stronger ones. The fact that he had knighted an Honorary Britannian was just a confirmation of all of their fears.

He sighed and shook his head. “That doesn’t sound like the work of hours.”

“Well, they got a heads up. Apparently one of your father’s guards was bribed.”

“Cornelia won’t be happy.”

“She wasn’t.” Suzaku chuckled, the sound cut off oddly. He pressed down on his side, Lelouch leaning to get a better look at it.

There was nothing that he could see, but he doubted that Suzaku would return with blood on his clothes. Then again, the fact that he had changed clothes told him enough. “How bad was it?”

Suzaku took a deep breath before responding, Lelouch trying to read the emotions that played across his face. “It could have been worse. More guards could have been…There was a point where he almost made it into the hall.” Suzaku tipped his head slightly to the side, Lelouch’s stomach twisting.

If the would-be assassin had made it to the hall, then there would have been trouble. Because of the alert there had been plenty of guards around the royals, but that never guaranteed anything. After all, it hadn’t helped when Alexandra’s mother and Marianne had been attacked.

He didn’t realize how tightly he was holding Suzaku’s hand until the knight squeezed his hand back. Lelouch looked down at their hands before jerking his gaze away. Some part of him was glad that Suzaku didn’t laugh about it, but he almost hoped that Suzaku would. It had been hours of waiting and listening for any hint that he should run. It had been hours of tension that he still couldn’t just shake off.

Some of that must have showed on his face because Suzaku squeezed his hand, the knight rocking forward like he was going to comfort him, but Suzaku quickly remembered himself.

Suzaku cleared his throat and took a step back, carefully detaching their hands. “We caught him. Cornelia has control of the situation.”

Lelouch nodded, the little information enough to get some of the worry to leak away. “You say that like you tackled him to the floor yourself.”

He had not expected the sheepish smile from Suzaku. Lelouch’s gaze darted down to the place that Suzaku was still holding. “You…idiot.”

Suzaku gave him an apologetic smile, but Lelouch got the feeling that Suzaku didn’t mean it.

As a knight, it was Suzaku’s duty to protect him and his daughter, Lelouch knew that. But Suzaku had been around for so long that Lelouch didn’t want to lose him. He was too attached, both C.C. and Cornelia had accused him of that, but he dared them not to be when most of the people that had come into his life had been taken from him.

Lelouch sighed, making a vague dismissive motion towards Suzaku. “Just…be careful. It was hard enough to pick out a knight the first time.”

“Of course.” Suzaku’s voice sounded serious, but the look on his face was anything but. He tipped forward slightly in a bow, stopping when whatever injury he had gotten made him stop.

Lelouch watched the pain flicker across Suzaku’s face, biting his lip to keep from snapping at the knight. There was no point, not when Suzaku would be stubborn about it. He had known that when he had knighted Suzaku, but that was one of the reasons that he had wanted the Honorary Britannian. He didn’t want a knight that would just bow and follow his orders, he had plenty of guards who did that already.

He rolled his shoulders, hoping that the motion would relax them a fraction. “Go on. You deserve the break after what you did.”

“Thank you.” Suzaku stepped around him, heading to the set of rooms that had been set aside for him. Lelouch turned to watch him go, pushing back the familiar temptation to trail after him. It wasn’t the time to broach that subject, not while Suzaku was hurt. There would be plenty of time afterward.

He raised his hand to wave as Suzaku disappeared around the corner, not even bothering to try and ignore the way his heart sped up when Suzaku smiled at him in return. It had been happening for so long that it was easier to just accept what it was and move on. After all, it wasn’t strange for royalty to fall in love with their knights; the two of them were in close contact for hours at a time.

Lelouch rubbed his hand over his face, trying to get his mind to focus on anything other than the scenarios that he had made up while waiting for the all clear. He didn’t need to wake up from dreams of Alexandra, C.C. or Suzaku bleeding out on the carpet of the throne room. There were plenty of other things that he needed to do, things that he needed to be awake for.

He groaned and ran his hand through his hair, staring down the hallway at where some of the most important people in his life were. With everything that was running through his head, he wouldn’t be able to sleep, which meant that he would be in for a long night and even longer morning.

Lelouch sighed and closed his eyes. He swayed in place for a moment, feeling his hip knock against the couch closest to the door. He glanced at the couch before moving around the end to sink into it. Lelouch didn’t bother to sit upright, letting himself keel over to one side.

From his position he could see the mess that Alexandra had left on the floor. It was her usual pile of books and notebooks. Lelouch had assumed that she was working on her homework, but he didn’t want to move from where he was to check. It wouldn’t matter. All of the children would be kept close while Cornelia searched the palace for any other hints of a plot. The only good that would come out of that was that Suzaku would be there, which would help him to explain what happened to Alexandra. It was a better option than having C.C. explain it to her.

He trusted that C.C. wouldn’t delve in too deep for an eight year old, but the woman would be blunt, perhaps too blunt. Lelouch didn’t mind Alexandra knowing about the dangers, it was a part of her life. But he didn’t want her so scared that she never wanted to leave their rooms.

Lelouch dropped an arm over his stomach, rolling over to stare at the ceiling. That was another thing to worry about in the morning and, for once, Lelouch was more than willing to push it off until then. He just wanted to take a moment to himself and try to clear his head enough that he wouldn’t be seeing blood every time he closed his eyes.


	4. Piaffe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the prompt "Footprints".

_Piaffe: a dressage movement where the horse is in a highly collected and cadenced trot, in place or nearly in place._

* * *

 

“What of it?”

It was an exercise in self-control not to punch Lelouch in the face. Suzaku knew that it wouldn’t make him feel better. Grinding Lelouch’s face into the ground hadn’t helped before. Besides, he doubted that C.C. would let him hurt Lelouch. Then again, she had just admitted to helping Charles and Marianne with their plans at one point before deciding to side with Lelouch. For all he knew, she would allow it.

He clenched his hand into a fist, almost tempted to push it. He was practically sure that C.C. would let it slide and Suzaku knew that Lelouch couldn’t do anything to stop it. Maybe being sprawled on the ground would get Lelouch thinking again instead of gloating over his victory.

Suzaku frowned at the thought. He didn’t want to grant Lelouch the victory, but there was no other word for what had happened. Suzaku might not have understood all of it, but he was sure that he hadn’t wanted to be a part of what Charles and Marianne were planning. And Lelouch had been the one to beat them, with words instead of a sword. Suzaku couldn’t compare to that. It was almost enough to make him wonder why he had wanted to follow Lelouch into C’s World in the first place.

Maybe it was curiosity. Or maybe it was the not quite forgotten friendship between them.

Suzaku hoped it wasn’t the latter.

He swallowed and lifted his chin, staring down Lelouch. It took more effort than it should to meet Lelouch’s gaze, especially now that he had the two slashes of red across his eyes. It didn’t matter that he could no longer be influenced by the geass, it was horrible to see.

“W-what of it?”

He didn’t expect Lelouch to nod slowly, like he was every inch the idiot that Lelouch called him.

Lelouch crossed his arms over his chest. “I killed Euphy. Hundreds have died because of me. What of it?”

Suzaku opened his mouth to speak, trying to figure out something to say to Lelouch, but there was nothing. He had shouted and raged and said that everything that he could think of. There was nothing left, just boiling anger and a growing sense of exhaustion.

It was too late to change anything and there was nothing left to be said to Lelouch.

Suzaku shook his head, watching for any sign that Lelouch would be anything but obstinate. But there was nothing.

He gave Lelouch a sharp nod before turning on his heel. If C.C. had been able to get him into C’s World, then she would be able to get him out. He was finished with whatever he had thought he had needed to do to help Lelouch. 

He had a promise waiting for him now since Charles was dead. Schneizel would become emperor and he would become the Knight of One. He would request to watch over Japan and finally get to help his country instead of watching it descend into war and suffering. That was a true victory, one that he could understand far more than the one that Lelouch had won.

He managed to get a few steps away before Lelouch spoke again. “What? No more accusations? No more demands?”

Suzaku swayed in place before turning to look at Lelouch. He expected more fierce defiance or anger, the same that had accompanied Lelouch’s last questions. There was still some there, but Suzaku doubted that it would ever go away. Lelouch wouldn’t be himself if there wasn’t some kind of anger pushing him onward. But it wasn’t the same. For all of Lelouch’s posturing before he was strangely defeated.

Suzaku considered Lelouch for a moment more before shaking his head. “No.”

“So this is it?”

He shrugged, at a loss of what to say. Lelouch had always been the one with the words for every occasion, Suzaku had been more than happy with actions.

He sheathed his sword, resting his hand briefly on his waist. Suzaku considered Lelouch for a moment before shaking his head. “It probably is.”

“We’re just going back to fighting each other?”

“That’s your choice. I didn’t start this.”

“But you did.” Lelouch laughed. “You killed your father and Japan gave up.”

He flinched, but didn’t do more than that. The reminder of his father didn’t sting as much anymore, mostly because of Lelouch. Others had thrown it at him to try and shake him, but it had always mattered more when it was Lelouch accusing him. It still mattered, but Suzaku had learned to pretend that it didn’t.

Suzaku forced himself to move, shrugging again. “What else is there?”

“There was something, before you betrayed me.”

“That was for Nunnally. And I didn’t betray you.”

“Then why was Kanon there?”

“Why is Kanon anywhere, Lelouch?” That brought Lelouch up short for once, and Suzaku felt a vicious spike of pride for that. He turned to look at Lelouch, meeting his gaze again. “I thought you would know the answer to that.”

Lelouch stared at him in shock, Suzaku almost relieved that he had finally managed to shut him up. He glanced over at C.C, giving the woman a nod. Now that he had managed his own miracle, he was ready to leave.

She shot him what looked like an amused look, but she didn’t move from beside Lelouch. Suzaku hesitated at that, looking in the direction that he thought that the two of them had come from. Even with the true workings of C’s World exposed, most of the distance was a vague fog, thick and disconcerting.

He turned to look back at Lelouch, only catching that his friend was speaking because he saw Lelouch’s lips move.

“Suzaku.” Lelouch paused for a moment, Suzaku expecting him to continue immediately. When he didn’t, he nodded at Lelouch, surprised that the motion was enough to encourage him.

Lelouch took a deep breath, slumping forward as he let it out. “I’m going to end this, but I need your help.”

“How?”

“I have plans but they aren’t concrete. I just know that I can’t do this alone. I need allies, and I’m disastrously short of them at the moment.” Lelouch shifted in place, looking wearier than Suzaku had seen him in a long while. “We were friends once.”

Suzaku laughed at that, although he wasn’t completely sure why. “It was one summer.”

“Then give me a summer again. I promise it will be done by then. I’ll swear it on anything.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to demand that Lelouch swear on Nunnally, but the pain of her death was too new. If he did that, then he would end any chance of whatever reconciliation that Lelouch was working up towards. If that happened, they would just go back to fighting and Suzaku didn’t know when it would stop.

He closed his eyes and shook his head, not wanting to see Lelouch’s face when he made his decision.

“What do you want me to do?”


	5. A Different Kind of Diplomacy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Touchreceptors](http://touchreceptors.tumblr.com/) has graciously allowed me to do an AU of her fic [A Dawn of Wyverns](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4883062/chapters/11195716) so I thank her for that. It was completely inspired by one throw away line from the original _“Were he not exiled, were he to have had knights around his age who would have enjoyed a tumble and only increased their devotion to him while the affection lasted.”_ I will be trying to adhere to the rules she had set up for this universe, but I can’t guarantee that some of my own ideas won’t leak in. Warning for mentions of A/B/O dynamics (although no actual heat or knotting content) and implied/past Lelouch/Gino, Lelouch/Kallen and Lelouch/C.C.
> 
> Written for the prompt "Rule Breaking".

Lelouch looked away from the carefully orchestrated swirl of people in the throne room below him as Schneizel stepped up beside him. He took a half step to the side, watching as Schneizel leaned on the closest column instead on the railing. Lelouch gave Schneizel a slow nod before looking back down at the opening maneuvers of the morning court. 

It was still early enough that it was mostly pomp and circumstance, an elaborate showing of old traditions and magnanimous decisions made by the emperor. Of course, those same decisions had been made in  small council and secret meetings days before, but it was the gesture that meant more than anything and the nobles were always happy for it. Lelouch wasn’t sure if it reassured them that the empire was running as it should be or if it led them to believe that still had a hand in the government as the leading families.

He huffed, ignoring the chiding sound that Schneizel made. His half-brother knew the situation just as well as he did. Schneizel didn’t pretend to lose himself in the court traditions, his half-brother was a bit cannier than that. Lelouch turned his head so he could look at where Clovis was throwing himself fully into the ceremony. From the way that Clovis was carrying on, he was trying to win the attention of one of the ladies.

Lelouch sighed and resettled himself against the railing, giving the court a long look over. He had intended to take stock of what representatives were at court. He would have to take the time to talk to them, and soon if the itching just under his skin meant anything. Still, it would be to his advantage. People always seemed more eager to agree with an omega close to their heat whether they were alpha or beta. There were plenty of deals that he needed to take care of, both for the empire and his own good.

He reached up to rub at his neck, freezing with his hand pressed against a tender spot when he heard Schneizel make an amused noise. Lelouch shot his half-brother an annoyed look, almost not surprised by the smug look on Schneizel’s face. If his brother noticed the annoyance on his face, Schneizel didn’t comment on it.

Schneizel just adjusted his stance against the column, his gaze drifting back out to the court below. “You’re cutting it a little fine if you intend to go back to the Aries Villa.”

“Who told you that?”

“It’s your habit, Lelouch. One that you’ve established.” Schneizel raised one shoulder in a shrug, a move that could have been mistaken for him trying to get comfortable against the stone. “It’s where your base of power is. And, of course, your ever loyal knights. And I couldn’t help but notice that you didn’t bring them with you.”

Lelouch flicked his free hand in a dismissive motion, keeping the other hand resting on his neck. It was technically in Schneizel’s purview to question him about his actions, his half-brother was Hand of the King and Lelouch was technically the lord of House Lamperouge, never mind that it had only been created so his father could marry Marianne. Still, Schneizel didn’t usually take too much interest in what Lelouch was doing, if only because their interests usually lined up.

He would have usually waved it off as Schneizel being a caring older brother, something he did in couched terms of diplomacy among the lords of Britannia. But his questions were oddly pointed this time around, like he didn’t care that Lelouch knew what he was angling for.

Lelouch dug his fingers into the skin of his neck before straightening them out. “I have business to attend to here that can’t wait.”

“Business that can’t wait for five days.” Schneizel made a thoughtful noise, leaning slightly over the railing. Lelouch leaned with him, trying to figure out where Schneizel was looking. It was hard when his attention was constantly distracted by one diplomatic contingent. Or rather, who _wasn’t_ with the diplomatic contingent.

“You’ve been here since the Ashigaru party arrived.” Lelouch jumped at the sound of Schneizel’s voice so close to him. He turned just in time to see Schneizel smile, the one that meant that Lelouch had given him everything that he needed.

Lelouch looked away, but he knew that it was too late by the way that Schneizel chuckled. He tried to ignore the sound, but it was impossible with the way that Schneizel moved closer.

“You’ve been slipping Lelouch. I’ve been able to confirm that the shogun’s son has spent half of his nights here in your room. The other half may be rumors, but I’m inclined to believe them because of the established pattern.”

“Are you asking me to explain myself?”

“No.” Schneizel sighed heavily. “I’m just telling you how obvious you’ve been. Obvious enough for anyone to notice.”

“Is this the Hand of the King asking or the brother?”

“Does it matter? If everyone has noticed, then Father has noticed.”

“Father is too busy with his religions.”

“Not for this.”

Lelouch shrugged, jerking away when Schneizel reached for him. His hand dropped away from his neck. He could feel Schneizel staring at the bruise that Suzaku had left on his neck, not surprised by his brother’s judgment. Lelouch clenched his hand into a fist, wanting to snap at Schneizel that he hadn’t been discrete in his own affairs but that wouldn’t win him anything. At least Kanon was a Britannian and from a minor enough house that he couldn’t use the bond between them to his advantage.

Then again, Lelouch already knew the lectures and warnings he would receive. 

It was alright to invite a kind of interest, but he should focus on winning the loyalty of his own knights. It was his duty as an omega and a prince. Bonds made between his knights and himself should be his first priority, but Lelouch didn’t want to end up like his father, with a harem of knights and consorts that all hung on his every word. 

Lelouch liked his handful of retainers well enough, but not enough to really settle for one. Gino preferred his duties to the Knights of the Round to waiting on a prince who tended to forgo the court life. C.C. had told him outright that she had no intention to settling down with anyone. Kallen had her own agenda that Lelouch was not about to interfere with. Jeremiah was the only one that he had resisted, if only because he remembered his mother taking the knight to her bed.

Suzaku was different because there was no expectation of protections or favors to be returned. He was also one of the few people that Lelouch had taken to bed without really thinking about the possible reasons for the other agreeing. Suzaku had showed no interest in pressing an advantage, he just seemed to be happy to be spending more time with Lelouch. Lelouch would have been suspicious if Suzaku hadn’t been completely hopeless at hiding his true intentions.

He leaned against the railing, ignoring the court in favor of watching Schneizel. He tipped his head to the side, looking for a tell, but Schneizel’s face was annoyingly blank. Lelouch groaned and shook his head. “You’re not going to talk me out of this.”

“I’m aware, which is why I’m warning you. I can feed Father an excuse, but I don’t think that will hold long.”

“By then Suzaku and the others should be back in Ashigaru.”

“Will they?”

Lelouch kept his mouth shut, not wanting to answer the question. He was sure that Schneizel had already formed an answer for it and there was no talking him out of it.

As far as Lelouch knew, Suzaku intended to go back to his country as soon as peace talks broke down, which they would. Suzaku had sometimes talked about his father, and it was enough to know that Genbu and Charles were too much alike for their own good. If Suzaku wanted to keep Ashigaru out of a war, he would have to go back to counter his father. Which would be a shame, Lelouch liked his company.

Lelouch hummed to himself, reaching up to rub the bruise on the side of his neck. He pressed his fingers against it a little bit just to feel the sting.

The expression on his face seemed to be enough for Schneizel, his half-brother sighing and waving him away. “Think about what I’ve said. It’s advice between brothers, and not an order.”

Lelouch made a noncommittal sound, his attention dragged away from Schneizel at the sight of someone walking down the gallery behind his half-brother. Lelouch leaned out to get a better look at them, ignoring the way that Schneizel laughed. His half-brother had plenty of other things to occupy his time with, as did Lelouch.

He shivered at the itch under his skin, trying to ignore it. At the moment, it was more annoying than anything else, but there would come a point when it became too insistent to ignore. He’d have to make sure that Suzaku knew his intentions by then. After all, he had passed on a chance to go back to Aries Villa for his heat because he knew that his father would never let the delegation leave Pendragon, let alone the shogun’s son.

Lelouch stepped around Schneizel, crossing the distance between him and Suzaku at a pace that was perhaps a bit too fast. But he could blame in on the upcoming heat and the relieved smile that Suzaku gave him. Lelouch couldn’t quite blame either of them for the way that he reached out to touch Suzaku’s arm, nor why he didn’t protest when Suzaku reeled him in. He stopped himself from moving further, the galleries above the court weren’t the best place for this sort of thing, not with so many people watching. And Schneizel had so kindly warned him of what people would think.

He tightened his hold on Suzaku’s arm, taking a step away from the balcony. The morning court was important, but there was nothing for him in it. If he really wanted to know what had happened, he would ask one of the lords in the emperor’s Small Council or Schneizel. His own agenda could wait a little bit longer, there was nothing too pressing, or it was too hard to think about when Suzaku was so near.

He tilted his head to the side, watching as Suzaku swallowed when he looked at the bruise he had left that morning. Once he was sure that he had Suzaku’s attention, he smiled at the man, speaking Ashigaru even as he drew Suzaku back into the hallway. _“Come and show me how a moon loves a sun.”_


	6. Stop Haunting Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the prompt "I'm not calling you a liar," which was inspired by [I'm Not Calling You a Liar (Dragon Age Version)](https://soundcloud.com/crunch-6/dragon-age-ii-credits-music-pt-1-im-not-calling-you-a-liar) by Florence + the Machine.

“I’m not calling you a liar, just don’t lie to me  
I’m not calling you a thief, just don’t steal from me  
I’m not calling you a ghost, just stop haunting me  
And I love you so much, I’m gonna let you kill me.”  
- _I’m Not Calling You a Liar,_  Florence + the Machine

* * *

 

Lelouch paused in his reading as he felt hands rest on his shoulders. He stared down at the page in front of him, the words blurring in front of his tired eyes, but he didn’t dare reach up and rub at them. Instead, he curled his fingers against the wood of his desk, the fingers of his other hand closing tightly around the pen that he held.

The documents were important and demanded his attention, they would be one of the things that Nunnally could base her future reign on. It was paragraphs and paragraphs of legislation that she could choose to heed or ignore, but the important thing was that it would be waiting for her, just like the letter he had yet to compose. Lelouch wasn’t sure if she would read it or not, but he needed her to understand or at least the chance to explain himself. Lelouch didn’t know which one he preferred; it was hard to tell when he was so exhausted.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had gotten a good night’s sleep. It was all a blur in between taking the Damocles and setting up his government in Japan. That and the time differences between Japan and Britannia were enough to keep him up at all hours, but he still had Zero Requiem to plan and perfect, and that had taken far more work that he had expected.

Everything had been perfectly in line when he had gone to fight Schneizel, but things had fallen apart too quickly for him to fix. It seemed like all he was doing these days was trying to patch up holes without making much progress.

The pen dropped from his hands with a clatter, the sound startling him. Lelouch jerked his head up from where it had started to nod forward, staring at the papers in shock. He didn’t remember what he had been reading, let alone turning the pages. But he did remember the hands on his shoulder, as steady and insistent as ever.

He sighed and leaned back into their familiar touch, closing his eyes as he tipped his head back. He heard Suzaku chuckle from behind him, Lelouch unable to help the smile that crossed his face at the familiar sound.

“You work too much.”

“I am the emperor.”

“You need sleep.”

Lelouch huffed at the familiar chastisement. “I’ll have plenty of time for sleep later.”

“Lelouch…”

“Please, just let me finish this. I’m almost done.”

“You said that last time.”

“I was working on something different then.”

Suzaku hummed, Lelouch relaxing as the hands moved from his shoulders down to rest on his chest. The chair creaked as Lelouch shifted his weight, leaning it back slightly so Suzaku could get closer to him. He heard his knight chuckle, Suzaku giving him a fond pat.

“That’s not an excuse.”

“What about you? You shouldn’t be out here. Someone could see you.”

“No one can see me.”

“You’re just that good?”

Suzaku didn’t answer, but the kiss to the top of his head was enough. Lelouch chuckled and tipped his head back. “As modest as ever.”

“Between you and C.C, someone has to be.” Suzaku moved behind him, the side of his arm brushing against the bare skin on Lelouch’s neck. Lelouch shivered at the touch, his hands twitching on the desk. 

Suzaku must have noticed the movement because he laughed, muffling the sound in Lelouch’s hair. Lelouch felt something that could have been an affectionate nuzzle or a breeze, but he didn’t have the time to think on it because Suzaku was pulling away, his hands sliding back up to Lelouch’s shoulders. “Come to bed.”

Lelouch nodded, reaching out to attempt to grab Suzaku’s hand out of habit. But his fingers pushed through a brief cold patch before they closed around nothing. Lelouch grabbed at his own shoulder, curling his fingers into the fabric of his shirt.

He took a deep breath, trying to ignore the way it shook when he let it out. Lelouch squeezed his eyes shut, hoping beyond all logic that he would open them, turn around and see Suzaku.

Lelouch opened his eyes and twisted in his seat, staring at the empty space behind him. He stared into the semi-darkness, hoping for some hint of movement or shadow, anything that would mean that he wasn’t alone. But he wasn’t that lucky.

He stared at the empty room for a moment longer before turning back to his desk. He kept his hand clenched on his shoulder as he bent back over what he was leaving for Nunnally, strangely reluctant to let go of the last place where he had felt the imagined touch. Lelouch took a few more deep breaths before focusing on the papers again. He was close enough to finishing to warrant a late night.

Besides, there was no point in going to sleep in a bed that would be empty.


	7. We Were Born to Make History

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sort of inspired by [ this picture by gutttersblessing](http://guttersblessing.tumblr.com/post/154158811365/ok-so-yes-this-was-just-an-excuse-to-explore) but it bears no resemblance to the plot they thought up. Also vaguely inspired by Yuri!!! on Ice, but mostly the fault of Lelouch being a graceful noodle. Title from _History Maker_ by Dean Fujioka. Warning I know nothing about ice skating, so this is all stuff I gathered from the anime.
> 
> Written for the prompt "History".

Kallen pulled her earbuds out as soon as she stepped into the area around the rink, frowning as she picked out the music playing from the CD player set up on a cart by the rink side. She shook her head and tucked the headphone cord into her sweatshirt pocket, making a beeline for where C.C. was leaning back against the side of the rink.

She had a couple more hours until Naoto got off, and there was no reason to sit behind the rental desk or at the tables in the front. The last of the kids were leaving from there, and Kallen had no patience for them. Besides, years of hanging out around the rink until Naoto was off of work meant that she knew most of the skaters that used it on a daily basis.

C.C. was one of those fixtures at the rink, the women coaching skaters since Naoto had started working there. 

Ohgi swore that she had been around since he had skated at the rink when he was a child, but Kallen couldn’t believe it. C.C. looked twenty years old at the oldest, which didn’t even make sense considering that she had been with Marianne during her career as a mixed martial artist. If C.C. had been around that long, then she should have been looking closer to thirty or maybe forty considering that Lelouch was nearly twenty-five. But she looked like hadn’t aged a day.

It was one of the mysteries of life that Kallen preferred not to contemplate for too long.

She propped her arms up on the top of the barrier, watching the two skaters at the other end of the rink. She raised an eyebrow as she recognized them, Kallen shaking her head.

“How the hell did you lure Lelouch back to pairs?”

“It was easy.” C.C. didn’t turn back to look at her, but Kallen was sure that the woman was smiling. It was an infuriating habit of hers, but it was easier to bear when C.C. was facing away from her. Kallen heard the sound of a skate tap against the ice as she shifted in place. “You just have to know how to convince him.”

Kallen frowned. “And Shirley couldn’t do that?”

“Not by playing on his guilt.” C.C. turned to face her. “That’s probably what made him run. How is she anyway?”

To anyone else, the disinterested tone of voice would have thrown them off but Kallen was too used to it to be fazed. If anything, she would have been worried if C.C. had shown much more interest.

Kallen reached up to pull her headband free, combing a hand through her hair as she spoke. “She’s fine the last time I saw her. She’s teaching kids how to swim. It’s easier on her ankle.”

C.C. made a vague sound, the woman drumming her fingers on the barrier. “Get her to come by. It might make Lelouch stop moping.”

Kallen looked back over to where Lelouch and Suzaku were skating side by side. They were perfectly in sync most of the time, but there were some times where Suzaku wobbled. It didn’t seem to mess up their overall timing, which was why Kallen was sure that C.C. wasn’t over there correcting them. 

She looked hard at Lelouch’s face before shaking his head. “He doesn’t look like he’s moping.”

“That’s because he doesn’t have Clovis around to encourage him.”

Kallen bit her lip to keep from laughing, because it was true. Clovis was over dramatic enough by himself, Lelouch didn’t need to be added to the mix. She scanned the rink for Lelouch’s half-brother before giving up. He wouldn’t have stood and watched if Lelouch had changed couches. In fact, he was probably off scouting new talent.

She sighed and leaned more heavily on the railing. “So, how did you get him away from Clovis?”

“That was easier than talking him back into pairs. I just told him that he could break Clovis’ rules.” C.C. held up a hand, curling her fingers as she spoke. “No tango, no complex themes and, of course no Suzaku.”

Kallen laughed at that, clinging to the railing to keep from falling over. “That…that sounds like Clovis.”

C.C. hummed in response, her gaze going back to her skaters.

Kallen took the moment to calm down, wiping at her eyes with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. She looked up just in time to see Suzaku land a jump and nearly fall. She winced at the inelegant landing, shaking her head. “I can almost see the last rule. I thought Suzaku didn’t skate.”

“Not skating competitively and not skating are two different things.” C.C. flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I got Lelouch to promise to skate for a season and I’m not above using everything that I can have over him. Besides, I threw Suzaku in a boot camp at the start of training.”

“That was a week ago.”

“Yes. The boy has surprising stamina.”

Kallen narrowed her eyes and stared at C.C, trying to see if she was joking. It was hard to tell, especially when most of her attention was on the two skaters. Kallen glanced over long enough to see them setting up for a throw, wincing in anticipation.

Shirley’s career had ended with a bad landing from a throw, which had left her with a dislocated shoulder and a shattered ankle. Milly had equally as bad horror stories, although the worst she had gotten away with was a broken little finger that was still bent slightly strangely.

She let out her breath slowly as Lelouch was tossed into the air, Lelouch spinning before landing neatly in Suzaku’s arms, although he didn’t stay there long. 

Kallen jerked back in surprise as Suzaku ducked forward slightly, shifting Lelouch up and over his shoulders, rolling the other man over them easily and back into his arms before going through the motion again. This time, Lelouch kicked out as soon as he was on Suzaku’s other side, landing back on the ice.

Kallen stared at the two of them, trying to work out just what she had seen even as Suzaku practically fell on his face when he went to follow after Lelouch.

She turned to look back at C.C, not even annoyed by the smug look on her face. Considering what she had just seen, C.C. deserved to be a little smug.

Kallen shook her head and rocked back on her heels, watching as the two of them moved back into the program. So far, it was just the bare bones, just the jumps and the motions. Lelouch seemed to be getting into the dancing of it, his fingers sliding down Suzaku’s arm before he was skating away again. From the way that Suzaku’s eyes followed him, the emotion behind the program wouldn’t be too hard to tap into.

She huffed and dropped back onto the flats of her feet. “This is going to send everyone into an uproar.”

“Good.” C.C. smiled and pushed away from the barrier. “Lelouch always performs better when all eyes are on him.”

She skated away before Kallen could say anything else, probably going off to correct something that Kallen’s inexperienced eyes had missed. Kallen left her to it, settling into a more comfortable position against the barrier. 

If that was just one part of their program, then she wouldn’t mind staying and watching more, especially if C.C. was so confident. 

There were worse ways to kill a few hours.


End file.
